Shores of the Gods
by abrynne
Summary: The Doctor Number Ten and Rose find themselves on an Earth where humans are beginning to reach their potential yet fear of that potential has driven the human race to unbelievable acts.
1. Chapter 1

Shores of the Gods

Chapter 1

"Why are we here, exactly?" she said as the doors of the cramped lift opened and he took her hand, stepping over the threshold.  
They entered a plain white corridor and she watched him sniff the air once or twice, his eyes darting about quickly before choosing a direction to follow.

"You know, I would have thought, and it could very well be just me, that any human would at least be the teensiest bit interested to see the actual capacity of the human mind actually being used…in all actuality." He said simply, putting his hands in his pockets as they walked side by side down the silent hall.

Rose kept her stride up with his, her brow furrowed in thought without any interruption from him except for the squeak of his shoes on the smooth floor. He glanced sidelong at her as she thought things through and suppressed a grin. One thing he did enjoy about Rose was her ability to work things out for herself rather than ask a load of questions.  
"Hold on," she said, shaking her head at him. "Wouldn't that mean they'd become pure energy?"

"According to Einstein, yes," he grinned absently, "Albert Einstein. The wickedest badminton player I have ever seen." he laughed and looked at Rose, "But yes. Very good. That is why they are kept in these wards, separate from the general population." He pointed at a plain windowless door as they passed by.  
"They're dangerous?" Rose looked apprehensively over the Doctor's shoulder at the door.  
He shrugged, "To other humans, no. It has always amazed me over the years that no matter how much you humans evolve you still cling so dearly to that instinctive fear of what's different or unknown."  
Rose frowned at him but didn't reply. She had learned early on that it was ludicrous to argue any point with him as he was quite obnoxiously right most often even when it came to the best flavors of ice cream the universe had to offer.

"As to why we're here exactly – I really haven't the foggiest. The Tardis had some odd readings before landing but –"  
He stopped in front of another plain white door with no door knob, no sign of the ability to enter the room beyond at all. Placing his hands on the surface he studied it for a moment.

"…cold." Rose heard him mumble before reaching into the inside pocket of his suit coat and extracted a thin hand held device. He pressed the controls with his thumb and a blue light erupted from the end of it.  
She waited patiently as he drew the device along the seam of the door and smiled to herself as she thought of the several places they'd still be stuck in if it hadn't been for the Doctor's most useful sonic screwdriver.

"That should do it." He said and turned to her with the very familiar look in his eyes. It was that small sparkle that only meant that he had no idea what they were getting themselves into but he could hardly wait to find out. "Well," he said with a cheery sigh as though they were deciding on a spot for a picnic, "let us go in, shall we?"

He opened the door but took Rose by the arm before she could take a step.  
"Please," he said, "Age and beauty before human, I think." He grinned as he took her hand and moved into the room first, Rose close behind.

At first glance the Doctor turned to Rose and placed a finger to his lips signaling her to be silent as the first impression of the environment hit her like a brick wall.  
The air in the room was freezing.  
Rose shivered and kept close to the Doctor who seemed to give off his own type of energy and heat, much more potent than a human. It helped her very little. The cold inside the room seemed to be more than just temperature.  
As for the room itself, it wasn't at all remarkable. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all white and seemed to be made of solid concrete. There were no windows, no other doors and no light source although she was able to see her way around it.  
On the farthest end of the room, opposite the doorway was the only remote piece of furniture in the room, a concrete slab in the corner.

"Amazing!" the Doctor whispered excitedly. He stepped closer to the slab and Rose started as her eyes adjusted and she saw a person laying on it. From what she could see, she believed it to be a woman though they could only see the back of her head and narrow shoulders as the woman was lying on her side, facing the wall. She had fair skin and dark hair the color of the night sky. It was long and draped gently over the edge of the slab as she slept.  
The Doctor pulled Rose towards the woman. "Do you see it?" he hissed at her. "That's not a blanket covering her at all. If I'm right, it's supposed to contain her in some way. And look," he pointed. "Look at her skin."

Rose stepped closer and saw the exposed skin wasn't fair at all. It was bright because she was glowing. Small ripples of gold, silver and crimson passed over her and underneath the blanket-shield in a continuous swirl of energy and light.  
"Even in her sleep." Rose muttered.  
The Doctor scratched his chin as he thought for a moment, "Since the brain is always working, regulating the breathing, heart beat, dreams et cetera the same goes for her case only her brain is much more remarkable than most." He said, his eyes gleefully combing over the woman once again.

"How can she still be here?" Rose said, "She'd be pure energy, wouldn't she?"  
"Quite right," the Doctor said as he whipped out the sonic screwdriver again and passed it over the woman's body in a scan.

"It looks like she's in a state of transition," he mumbled. "Her body is running at a fantastic speed – everything is in flux." He raised his eyes and stared at the sleeping woman.  
"Incredible that she is sleeping at all, I'd say. Anyone experiencing what she is could be running record laps around the city of London without breaking a sweat." The Doctor bent lower and Rose followed suit.

"They could at least make her more comfortable." Rose said, eyeing the slab of concrete with a look of distaste on her face.  
"Should we be this close?"  
He raised his eyebrows looking unconcerned, "I have no idea."

_It is rude to stare._ A female voice spoke gently.  
Both the Doctor and Rose exchanged looks and slowly stood, backing away from the pitiful excuse for a bed.  
_Does it not frighten you, my being inside your heads?_ The voice sounded amused but not threatening.

The Doctor snorted a laugh, "That's not fair to you really because you have no idea where my head's been."  
"And mine's truly not worth the browse." Rose said.

_I've been alone for so long, any mind is welcome.  
_The woman's shoulders shivered slightly and Rose realized where the voice was coming from.  
_Your minds are strange. You are not of this world._ She sounded shocked but intrigued.  
The Doctor approached the bed again and squatted down next to it, "You were taken from your world, weren't you?" he said softly.

Rose felt the air grow colder and wrapped her arms about her to keep in the little warmth she had from her thin jacket.  
The Doctor turned, looking up at her and stood immediately removing his long brown coat that he always wore over his suit and wrapped it around Rose's shoulders. "I could hear your shivering from a mile away," he said with a small smile. "That is one thing, isn't it? It's bloody freezing in here and she is why." He said, pointing at the woman.

"She absorbs the heat?" Rose said, her teeth chattering as she stuffed her hands in the coat pockets.  
"Not only the heat," he said, his eyes still searching about the room, "the energy. There's no light source in this room. _She_ is the light source. Hah!" he ran a hand through his hair and goggled at Rose, "Doesn't that just giddie you up? - well, it should at any rate - She's even absorbing it from us. Look –"

He held up the sonic screwdriver and turned it on. The blue light brightened and dimmed as a small wisp of blue light drifted from the device and to the woman's body through the air.  
"Oh! I'm impressed. I _love_ it when I'm impressed! It's so…impressive."

"Doctor –" Rose took him quickly out of his reverie and nodded at the bed, clutching his coat about her.  
The woman had turned onto her back. Her face was young and smooth, flawless and lovely. Her eyes were closed but her voice echoed in their heads again.

_I was only a child when they took me. I remember very little of anything of the outside world. But soon, I will be taken to the Shores.  
_"The Shores? What are they?" the Doctor said.  
_The Shores is where we are set free.  
_The Doctor's smile had faded as he looked at her. Concern had replaced it.

"What do you mean, set free?" Rose said.  
"They let us go."  
"That's kind of a vague solution isn't it?"  
_It is the only way.  
_"The only way for what?" he said irritably. "'Set free,'" he mocked, "'- it is the only way' – what kind of pile of poo is that?"

Rose approached the bed and put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder.  
"What's your name?" she asked.  
_Iris_. The voice in her head told her.

The Doctor guffawed, "Oh now I wish I had a more specific name...Daisy, or Violet – they smell good – we could be a bouquet!"  
"I'm Rose – "  
_I know – Rose and her Doctor – Travelers in Time._

Rose looked at the Doctor, "Can we help her?"  
He didn't respond right away but stuck his lip out in a small pout as he did when something was bothering him, "Since when have I become _your_ doctor? Like I'm some sort of cuddly thing here for your amusement!  
He thought further on it and broke into a smile, "Well, I am cuddly – that's a scientific fact. But that wasn't my point – "

"Can you help her, Doctor?" Rose said sternly.  
"There isn't much I can do for her." he said. "Her mind is moving at a million miles per second. It's amazing she doesn't go mad in this place."

_Thoughts of the Shores sustain me._ Iris thought.  
Rose turned back to her, "What happens at the Shores when you get there?"  
_We are set free - allowed to exist as we're meant to.  
_"As pure energy." The Doctor said, frowning.  
_Yes. They wait until maturity and when we are ready, they let us go. I am told it is a feeling beyond anything this world can offer.  
_The Doctor frowned further still, "'They'" seem like rather kind people, don't 'they'?"

"It's too simple."  
Rose smiled slyly, "Isn't it something like the simplest answer is usually the correct one?"  
The Doctor rolled his eyes exasperatedly and started pacing, "Rose, you travel through time and space and as anyone who has ever traveled through time and space can tell you, that saying is not exactly accurate. In fact it's a load of tripe with a bit of droppings sprinkled on top."

"Why keep her here then, if they only mean to release her?" he said, his voice sounding more accusatory with every word.  
"Why not let her live her life and use her brain? Why not allow her to learn as she should and then when it is time, release her then? More directly – _why_ is she here?"

_We are dangerous.  
_"No you're not," the Doctor said flatly.  
_We are.  
_"_No,_ you're not."

_We are kept isolated because of what we are capable of. I have seen it.  
_"But you've no wish to harm us, Iris," he said.  
_No. It has been so long since I've spoken to anyone. In the room next to mine there was a girl, River, she went to the Shores long ago.  
__We used to converse through the thick walls. Now, I can hear and feel noone._

Rose crouched down silently next to Iris and watched a tear roll down the side of her face into her hair.  
"I'm so sorry." Rose whispered and moved to put her hand over Iris's but the Doctor leaped forward and snatched her hand away, giving her a warning shake of his head.  
"You said they weren't dangerous." Rose protested.  
"Leave it to you to go and prove me wrong though, right?"

_There are others who do harm. I have felt them,_ Iris continued. _Such anger and frustration consumes them into violence.  
_Iris's thoughts stopped as though someone had clapped a hand over her mouth.  
The Doctor froze, still holding onto Rose's arm.

Iris's eyes flew open wide revealing a silvery-blue light coming from behind them. Rose and the Doctor stared, mesmerized by the look of her eyes, looking as though she held entire worlds – galaxies – being created and destroyed just beneath the surface.  
"Leave." she choked. Her body wend ridged and her light from her skin began to churn and glow brighter.

Rose looked from the Doctor to Iris, "Didn't she say to leave?" she said, tugging slightly on his jacket.  
But he was smiling gleefully, the light emanating from Iris reflecting in his brown eyes. "It's building inside of her." he said as Iris let out a moan.  
"It's hurting her." Rose felt the rise of alarm and panic start in her stomach.

"Go now!" Iris said, the pupils of her eyes no longer visible from the light that surrounded her.  
As she spoke her body shuddered and a wave of pure energy burst from her, knocking Rose and the Doctor off their feet. He leapt up almost instantly and made a grab for Rose, pulling her off the floor, a small grin on his face.

"Alright," he said, "I think it would be a good time to leave now, don't you?" he said but didn't wait for her answer.  
At a last glance, Rose watched Iris's body lift inches off of the bed, her entire form being swallowed in its own energy.

Iris started to scream – one high endless screech when the Doctor wrenched the door open, pulling Rose through and slammed it shut again, sealing it with the sonic screwdriver.  
He put his arms around her and pushed her too the floor as the screaming seemed to fill the hallway and the light was blazing through the small crack between the floor and the bottom of the door.

Rose felt as though she and the Doctor were being lifted into the air and then slammed violently back onto it when the sound stopped, a split second of dead silence and the blast of heat, energy, light, and sound erupted inside the room they had just occupied.  
The door rattled but stayed in place and Rose closed her eyes, burying her head in the Doctor's arms for the brightness of the light coming from the cracks around the door.

And, as suddenly as it has started, silence fell again.


	2. Chapter 2

Rose's ears were ringing and though it seemed like it was over she didn't move, finding an odd comfort in the sound of the unusual rhythm of the Doctor's two heart beats as she clung onto him.  
"That's it, I think." He said in her ear.  
They both raised their heads and looked at each other.

"Are you alright?"  
Rose smiled and nodded, "You?"  
He only smiled, pulling her to her feet and watching her mouth fall open in surprise as he did so.

They both looked around, staring in shock at the corridor they stood in. It was flawless, white and solid as though nothing had happened. The door to Iris's room looked untouched and smooth as it always did.  
"Is she alright?" Rose breathed as the Doctor approached the door.  
He placed his hand flat on the surface of the door as he had when they first entered and stood quite still for a full minute before turning back to Rose.  
"She's fine. Just fine." He said but he wasn't smiling.  
"But she was in that explosion – "  
"She _caused_ the explosion, Rose."

Rose opened her mouth to protest further but the Doctor held up a finger to silence her so he could talk it through himself.  
"Iris doesn't appear to be able to control what's happening to her and rightly so." He leaned up against the wall, putting his hands in his pockets and staring blankly at the ceiling as he thought, "She is allowed no outlet for the power she's got, forced to stay all day alone in that room, her mind going to waste.  
"So eventually it builds up inside of her until she cannot contain it any longer and then –" he made a popping sound with his lips and spread his fingers out in front of him.

"Oh!" he ruffled his hair as his eyes popped out at Rose, "And she absorbs all the energy around her, isn't that what I said?"  
Rose nodded quickly and waited.  
"All of the power just released from her was pulled right back into her almost instantly. And of course her body and her mind continue to create more and when it's combined over and over and over again –"

"They set her free." Rose recited.  
The Doctor frowned at her, his hair sticking out in every direction as a result of his hands running through it while he thought.  
"'They' force her to stay in here nearly torturing herself until she can't cope anymore – "  
He looked at Rose, his eyes sparkling and grinned mischievously, "What do you say we take a little walk?"  
Rose eyed him suspiciously failing to hide her smile as he held out his hand to her. "Where are we going?"

Before the Doctor could respond they both stopped at the sound of footsteps approaching them. The Doctor pulled Rose just behind him as a man came bustling around the corner. He was about a head shorter than the Doctor with thinning hair and a growing waste line. His sour face was contorted into a look of concentration as he walked quickly towards the Doctor and Rose. He didn't bother to lift his eyes to see them until he nearly stepped on the Doctor's shoes.

The man's tiny eyes slowly rose to meet the Doctor's smiling dark ones and he let out a yelp of surprise.  
"Who? – no – What? – " the man stammered looking alarmed, his eyes darting from the Doctor to Rose and back to the Doctor again.

The Doctor placed a hand behind his back and snapped his fingers to get Rose's attention. He held his hand open to her and almost immediately Rose understood and plunged her hands into the pockets of the Doctor's jacket.  
She slipped the psychic paper in his hand as the man continued to stammer anxiously.

"Visitors? No, no – we haven't had visitors for years." He flapped his arms madly at the two of them. "I can't understand it – no, I won't – I won't. I'll have to tell _somebody_. Oh, I hate telling somebody!"  
The Doctor smiled quickly, making a grab for the man's flailing hand as he exclaimed his confusion and shook it as though they'd just been introduced, "I'm so sorry for the scare, sir," the Doctor said brightly.  
Rose started a little. He sounded American with perhaps a bit of the southern states in the accent.

"I'm Doctor Crackenstacker and this is my associate, Miss Fitz – Miss Fitz!"  
Rose nodded at the man who looked a bit calmer but still rather nervous as the Doctor flashed the psychic paper before his eyes.  
"I'm not sure if anyone informed you of our arrival – Miss Fitz," the Doctor looked at Rose, a scowl on his face, "Next time would you please make certain more than one of the staff members are aware that we're coming."  
Rose did her best to look ashamed of herself as the Doctor turned back around.

"Dr. Glenn," the man said realizing he was still shaking the Doctor's hand. "Would you tell me your purpose then, Doctor."  
"Of course!" The Doctor said, clapping Dr. Glenn on the shoulder, "Miss Fitz and I made arrangements to be here so that we may get a first hand look at your facility. We're planning construction of our own in the states."

Glenn's brow furrowed, "Where in the states?" he said in a squeaky voice.  
The Doctor raised his eyebrows knowingly and nodded at Rose, "Oh, that's classified, I'm afraid."  
"Of course," Glenn said quietly. "I should inform management that you are here but first I need to look in on the subject." He nodded at the door to Iris's room.

Rose scowled, "The subject?" she said. "You mean Ir – ow!"  
The Doctor lifted his foot off of hers when she stopped talking, "We'll wait out here then." He said as Dr. Glenn swiped an identification card through the crack in the door and went in.  
"You've got the biggest feet in all of creation!" Rose moaned, wincing.  
"I'm very hurt because of how false that statement is, Rose Tyler. I've grown to be quite fond of these feet," he bent down to meet her eyes as she was examining her foot, "I'm sorry but I don't believe anyone should know that we'd been in there." He nodded at the door Dr. Glenn had just went through.

_Rose  
_Rose stood up quickly and put her hand on the Doctor's arm.  
_Rose  
_"What is it?"  
_Rose, are you still there?  
_"It's Iris. She's calling me."  
The Doctor looked around them as though Iris would be standing there, "It's just you then." He mumbled.  
"Answer back. Tell her you're alright." He said  
Rose shook her head, "How am I supposed to do that?"  
"She's already inside your head. Just think it."

Rose closed her eyes and concentrated.  
_I'm here, Iris. We're alright.  
__Will you come to see me again? I don't feel as alone since you've come.  
__I hope so._ Rose forced her thoughts to remain clear. _We're going to try and help you.  
__Only the Shores can relieve me._ _But you have brought with you something that can sustain me even until then. Finally, a being who understands._

Rose opened her eyes and saw the Doctor in front of her looking concerned. She quickly realized the wetness of her cheeks and wiped the tears away.  
_We'll come back for you, Iris._ Rose thought as the Doctor moved closer to her.  
"Rose? Are you with me, Rose?" his voice seemed to come from a great distance to her ears.

She blinked up at him, her eyes still wet.  
"What did she say to you?" he said, pursing his lips and eyes flashing.  
"It's alright, I'm fine, Doctor. She wants to see us again." Rose breathed deeply. "But I thought she couldn't communicate outside the walls."  
The Doctor looked around and sniffed at the air again, "Another curiosity we'll add to the list."

"She sounds so lonely, so empty," Rose sighed as the door to Iris's room opened again.  
The Doctor squeezed Rose's hand comfortingly as Dr. Glenn came back into the corridor and motioned for them to follow him.


	3. Chapter 3

They were led back down the hallway to the lift they had originally come from. The Doctor h ad released Rose's hand but said nothing of his coat she still wore for which she was very grateful. The air in the entire building seemed to be made of ice.  
Dr. Glenn busied himself with a data pad he'd extracted from his pocket when the lift doors closed and Rose suddenly felt a pull to the left as the lift began to move sideways rather than down. She and the Doctor steadied themselves, Rose feeling a little queasy when the lift slowed to a stop and the doors opened once again.

She squinted out at the brightness of the room beyond as they walked out. It looked like a front lobby or reception area but it was all white and spotlessly clean. But it wasn't the organization of the room that made Rose shiver slightly. There were no receptionists, no nurses, no staff of any kind. The large room was unnaturally silent as well as unnaturally bright.  
Dr. Glenn continued on, past the large sunlit windows and into another corridor.

"How many do you have on your staff?" the Doctor asked casually.  
"This facility doesn't require much maintenance and the patients, if you will, little attention – "  
Rose cleared her throat loudly but the Doctor gave her a sharp poke in the shoulder to keep her silent.  
"There is a grand total of five of us."  
The Doctor raised his eyebrows in disbelief, "Out of pure curiosity then, how long do you keep a patient here? What's your basic process?"

"I'm sorry, what did you say your name was again?" Dr. Glenn slowed and eyed the Doctor.  
"Crackenstacker." The Doctor said flatly.  
"What nationality is that exactly?"  
"Scottish and a wee bit of Norwegian, so my mother tells me."  
Rose had to bite on her lower lip to keep from laughing as Dr. Glenn continued down the seemingly endless corridor.

"The patients are usually discovered shortly after their first birthday. It can't be helped. They begin showing skills of speech, excellent motor control, and others at around that age."  
Rose gaped at Dr. Glenn, "They start talking right at a year old?"  
"In complete sentences yes and some even earlier. They soon learn to read rather quickly afterwards."  
"What about their families?" Rose said, "They just let you take their kids away?"  
"They hardly put up a fight if that's what you mean. Very few parents realize what's happening to their children in these cases. They become frightened of them. When they see us at their front door the most evident emotion I've seen is relief."  
Dr. Glenn glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Rose who did not return the smile. In fact she was suppressing, with great difficulty, the urge to kick him in the backside as they walked.

"Ah, here we are," Dr. Glenn said, stopping at another white door. The most prominent feature about this particular door was that it was the first one they'd seen in the entire building with a door knob.  
Rose and the Doctor followed him into another blazing white room but in it there was actual furniture.   
In the far corner two men sat at a table looking as though they had been in a deep discussion when Dr. Glenn had entered. Both men glanced up and one of them stood in greeting. He had wispy gray hair and sparkling blue eyes. Rose felt a chill go up her spine that had nothing to do with the temperature as she looked into those eyes. The other gentleman who'd remained seated looked young and fit with a strong jaw and piercing green eyes. He did not smile as his counterpart did when he saw Rose and the Doctor.

"Shank, these are the two I told you about. From the states apparently. Dr. Crackenstacker and his assistant Miss Fitz." Dr. Glenn gestured to the Doctor and Rose.  
The Doctor strode forward with a smile and held out his hand to greet Dr. Shank, "Simply having a look around at your place here. I apologize for the intrusion. We won't stay long."

"Excellent, excellent," Shank shook the Doctor's hand heartily and then took Rose's in turn. "Well, I suppose that there is no reason for delay. I would be happy to show you the inner workings of our establishment myself, Doctor."  
The Doctor smiled more broadly, "I'm much obliged, sir."

Rose glanced at the man in the corner and he stared back at her unblinkingly. Rose felt her heart thump in her throat as she tried to catch the Doctor's eye. There was something very wrong where they were. She felt terrified but she couldn't explain the reasoning to herself.  
Instead she took the next best course of action aside from bolting out of that room and back to the TARDIS while dragging the Doctor behind her and stood close to the Doctor setting in her mind that she would not leave him out of her sight.

"If you'll come with me, Doctor," Shank gestured for the Doctor to follow him.  
Rose made to follow the Doctor but stopped at Shank's unwelcome gaze. "I think that my assistant would be very happy to instruct your Miss Fitz on any of our procedures here." He spoke with a smile but it did not reach his eyes. They remained as cold and harsh as ever to Rose.

"Grant," Shank glanced at the man in the corner and then back at Rose, "Please feel free to show Miss Fitz how we like to do things here."  
Grant only nodded as Shank led the Doctor out. Rose managed to give one desperate look to the Doctor before he left but it didn't seem to penetrate. She sighed. No matter how old or how experienced he was she was reminded every now and again that he was still and most definitely a man.

Rose plastered a smile on her face as she looked at Grant who gestured for her to have a seat on the small sofa in the middle of the room. Dr. Glenn shuffled over to the table where Shank had been sitting before and put his back to her. Rose hesitated and sat down. Grant stood and approached her and she stiffened at his near presence.

Grant sat next to her, "You're afraid of me." He said in a deep voice.  
"No," Rose lied.  
"You have every right to be afraid, Rose Tyler."  
"I – _what –" _Rose got to her feet and backed away from him.  
"We know that you don't belong here. You and that man you're with are some sort of travelers, are you not?" Grant's eyes flashed and the shadows about his face darkened.

Grant walked slowly towards her, backing her up against a wall, "I could feel your fear before you entered this room. Such a child but there is strength in you, I feel."  
Rose felt a stinging pain behind her eyes and screamed.

"You are a human child," Grant said. "Yet I cannot decipher all of your mind. You are fighting me. Something I did not expect."  
The pain grew worse and Rose doubled over, clutching at her head.

Grant spread his hands and Rose felt herself being forced up against the wall. Her head was throbbing and her eyes wet with tears but she looked up at Grant. His eyes seemed to be glowing. She glanced over at Dr. Glenn who still sat at the table but was staring at the both of them.  
Rose looked at him pleadingly but he did not move to help her and allowed Grant to continue.

"We'll find out about you soon enough." Grant said squatting down on the floor next to her, a twisted smile crossing his handsome face.  
Rose screamed again as he attempted to probe into her head once more.

--------

They had to be underground, though under what ground, the Doctor still couldn't decide. The man called Shank was leading him into a darker corridor. The walls were no longer gleaming white but looked as though they were made of solid stone.  
On and on they walked until they reached a large room with enormous lights overhead and countless generators in rows on the floor and along the walls.

The Doctor stepped to the closest of the generators and put his glasses on.  
"You're on top of a power station?" he said in disbelief.  
"Next to a power station, Doctor." Shank corrected. "This is our actual purpose."

The Doctor gazed about further, wandering around the large room, taking moments to examine the individual generators and power cells before he turned back to Shank.  
"Do I want to ask why this is fully connected to your hospital of sorts?"  
"Of course you do," said Shank. "You're a very bright man who's come across something very few humans have ever seen."

The Doctor stared at him as though he had never seen anything quite like him as his brain worked furiously trying to put it all together. His face slackened and his eyes rounded at Shank when he came to a conclusion, an _outrageous_ conclusion but it all seemed to fit.  
"These people, these evolved, _brilliant_ people you are not keeping for their benefit at all are you?" The Doctor raised himself to his full height, doing his best to remain calm. "You take them when their children, barely living and stuff them into this place so they know nothing else in life, absorbing and creating energy until they cannot stand it any longer and that is when you take them to the Shores.  
"I'm standing in the Shores aren't I, Mr. Shank?" the Doctor scowled at him. "Oh, it is maddeningly ingenious, yet rather stupid at the same time. Tell me, how long can you power the city on just one of these people?"

"Are you quite finished?" Shank said looking bored.  
The Doctor pursed his lips and approached Shank, "I have not remotely begun to begin, Mr. Shank!" he said, the calmness in his voice slipping. "You promise these people peace and understanding only when you're planning to use them for fuel!" The Doctor spat. "How is it that you are able to escape the authorities while committing such a crime?"  
"Fear," Shank said, backing away from the Doctor. "People are driven by fear, they thrive on it and die by it, Doctor." Shank's cold eyes pierced at the Doctor as he spoke. "These people would never be accepted into society – "  
"That is of course, saying that you actually gave them that chance!"  
" – they would be labeled and immediately cast out into the streets as freakish abnormalities. What other use could they have?"

The Doctor gaped at Shank, "These people are your future, what you're meant to become."  
"They are defects of the race." Shank said.  
The Doctor's face contorted in fury and he stormed up to Shank until they were nearly nose to nose but Shank did not flinch.

Shank smiled, "It seems that I was correct about you, Doctor," he said. "Our scans of you and your companion when you first arrived showed us some very odd things about you in particular. There was one or two who believed that you, being a more advanced form of life would have understood and perhaps supported our work here. But I knew better."  
"No," the Doctor said in a low and dangerous voice, "If you knew better you would have locked me away and swallowed the key by now."

Before Shank could respond the Doctor raised his fist and with all of his power and anger punched Shank in the jaw, knocking him to the floor in a crumpled heap. The Doctor winced and shook his hand gingerly as he bounced on the spot, dealing with the satisfying pain in his hand.  
"Ugh, I knew there was a reason I don't do that very often." He groaned as he staggered out of the generator room.


	4. Chapter 4

He squatted down next to Shank's limp body and pressed two fingers to his neck for a pulse. "I'm sorry," he said and got back to his feet and started back down the long corridor at a jog kicking himself for leaving Rose alone with two of their staff members.  
They tried to bring him into the fold because he wasn't ordinary but Rose…what would they do with her?

_Doctor  
_The Doctor stopped in the middle of the corridor and looked around him.  
_Doctor_

His shoulders slumped and he heaved a sigh, "Oh, no. This is why I support the use of verbal communication. Telepathy is always so spooky the way you can sneak up on an unsuspecting person like that. And as telepathy is one of the modes of communication that is used in only very small and very select parts of the universe it makes those who are incapable of it and those of us who choose not to use it more at ease. I highly recommend telepathy usage very sparingly, Iris. And how is it that you're able to reach me in the first place?"

_Doctor! Rose's mind is in danger.  
_The Doctor started to sprint down the corridor. _What have they done to her?  
__They're attempting to obtain information about the two of you. I've been trying to stop them but I can't hold it for much longer. She's in pain. They're using one of us to probe her mind.  
_The Doctor bent lower and ran full out. _How is it that you can – ?  
__That doesn't matter now. You have to get to her.  
_He skidded around a corner and raced down the next corridor until he heard the screams.

------

"You're not from here." Grant spoke softly, his hands on Rose's shoulders holding her still against the wall. "You are human but you're not of this world. How?" he leaned closer to her until they were almost nose to nose.  
Rose whimpered and closed her eyes as he went into her mind again. "Please," she said softly. "Doctor, help me"  
_Hold on, Rose._ A voice echoed in the back of her mind like a whisper of thought.  
Rose opened her eyes and looked around the room, "Iris?"  
"What did you say?" Grant's eyes bored into her.

------

He finally reached the door and turned the door knob but it wouldn't budge. They had sealed themselves in with her. "Rose! I'm right here, I'm coming!"  
The sonic screwdriver was in his hand and he quickly ran it along the seam of the door.  
Grant shot a look at Dr. Glenn, "Bolt the door!" he snapped.

Dr. Glenn shuffled over to the door but wasn't fast enough. The door was kicked in, hitting Dr. Glenn in the head as it opened and he fell backwards into the floor.  
In two swift strides of his long legs the doctor moved over to where Grant held Rose and saw the tears on her face and the expression of pain in her eyes.  
A white hot anger flared up inside of him and he held up the sonic screwdriver to Grant's head, "Let her go," he said in a dangerous voice. "Let her go or I will not take responsibility for what happens."  
The sonic screwdriver clicked in Grant's ear and he lifted his hands off of Rose's shoulders allowing her to slump the rest of the way to the floor. He backed away and nearly tripped over Dr. Glenn who was making an attempt to get back to his feet.

The Doctor slipped the sonic screwdriver back into his jacket pocket and put his hands on either side of Rose's face.  
"Rose," he said soothingly. "Rose, it's alright. I'm right here."  
He closed his eyes and went into her mind. She let him through unlike Grant who had forced his way in deeper and deeper without any consent.  
Some memories were damaged, distorted. But she would mend.

Rose lifted her hands up and put them over his own, they were freezing. She held onto him and raised her eyes to his own.  
"Are you with me?" he said, brushing the hair away from her face.  
"I don't know."  
"Come on. Up you get," he said, putting his arm around her waste and grasping her hand. He lifted her to her feet but didn't release her, she felt like rubber in his arms.

Grant was advancing on them both and the Doctor quickly pulled out the sonic screwdriver once more and pointed it sharply at Grant and Dr. Glenn.  
"We'll be taking our leave now, if it's all the same to you. But make no mistake," the Doctor said angrily, "This will not be the last you'll see of me."  
He pushed Rose out the door, slipped out himself and shut it, locking it with the sonic screwdriver.  
Rose stood slumped against the wall. The Doctor took her hand and tugged lightly.

"No, no," she muttered. "Just let me stay here."  
"I can't let you do that."  
"I'm so tired, Doctor." Her voice was slurred.  
"I know," he put his hands to her face to raise her head. "We've got to run first, though. Get back to the TARDIS. Then, I promise you can rest."  
"I can't even think. He took my thoughts." She said.

The Doctor's eyebrows furrowed and he looked deeply concerned. "We have to run."  
"But they think you're going to kill them. Can't we stay just for - ?"  
"Rose, we're dealing with somewhat intelligent people here. It will only be a few minutes before they realize that the weapon I threatened them with could only do them harm if I happen to use it by locking them in a deep freeze. Now come on – "

There was a bang on the door the Doctor had just locked.  
"Time's up!" the Doctor said and he pulled harder on Rose's hand until she started to move with him and they ran down the corridor as the door burst open.  
It felt like he was dragging a reluctant child along with him. Rose was doing her best to keep up but she was sluggish and still extremely disoriented.

"Doctor," she said quietly. "Doctor, I can't. I can't – please just let me stay – "  
There were footfalls coming quickly behind them when Rose leaned against a wall and slid down to the floor  
"I am not leaving you here, Rose. That isn't an option." The Doctor felt his patience thinning and seized Rose around the waist, hefted her back up to her feet and half carried her towards one of the lifts, flinging himself into it and sealing the door.

_Bring her to me, Doctor.  
_"For the love of – not now Iris!"  
_Bring her back to me. It is only fair I have this chance to help her as she has helped me before I go to the Shores.  
_The Doctor set Rose down in the corner of the lift and looked above him. "There are no Shores, Iris! Do you understand me?" he bellowed. "You're nothing but battery life to them!"  
_Don't lie.  
_"You're in my head, aren't you?" he snapped at the ceiling. "I would imagine then that you'd be able to tell if I were lying or not."

There was a loud thud on the doors to the lift. The Doctor quickly pressed a random button on the control panel and the lift began to move.  
_Bring her to me._ Iris told him.  
The Doctor scowled before he crouched down next to Rose. "Are you in pain?" he said gently.  
"I – am," she began and looked at him with glassy eyes. "I am not. I am not in pain."  
"What have they done to you?" he whispered helplessly.  
"I'm sorry, Mum. I'll get it fixed…" she said.

Rose was looking directly at the Doctor but her eyes didn't seem to be focused on him. He waved a hand in front of her face and she didn't flinch.  
"Memories," he muttered. "At least they had better be memories because I absolutely refuse to be compared to your mother."  
The lift doors opened again. The Doctor lifted Rose back up onto her feet and steered her out of the lift and into the corridor. He made for the same door and opened it with the sonic screwdriver as he'd done earlier.

They entered the freezing cold room. Iris was on her feet a robe of white and silver draped around her shoulders, observing the Doctor and Rose calmly as they stumbled into the room. Rose slipped from the Doctor's grasp and her knees buckled. The Doctor caught onto her and gently lowered her the rest of the way to the floor.  
Iris locked her eyes onto Rose but she did not move to her.

"Well," the Doctor said, folding his arms stubbornly in front of him. "Are you going to work your magic before they find us?"  
Iris lifted her beautiful eyes to the Doctor, "You've seen the Shores?"  
He stared at her for a moment, swallowing down a scathing remark or two, "Yes, I have. It is not paradise, it is not freedom. They mean to imprison you forever, Iris. When you run out they'll start on another one."  
Iris continued to gaze at him unblinkingly, her face expressionless. "They have issued a lock down."

"Well, there's some more happy news," the Doctor walked towards her. "And that's another thing. How is it that you know that? You said yourself that you could not communicate beyond these walls."  
"I spoke the truth," Iris said. "I could not until you came. You and your Rose brought with you a being I could never have anticipated. Finally, some release." she smiled as tears came to her eyes.  
"You've been communicating with the TARDIS." He breathed the words, barely believing them.  
Iris only smiled. Rose shivered on the floor and released a small moan.

The Doctor shook his head as he rearranged his thoughts, "That doesn't matter," he said. "If you can help her I'm asking you to please help Rose."  
Iris nodded once and moved towards Rose, the light in the room moving with her until it illuminated both women in a bath of soft golden light. She knelt down next to her, the Doctor following suit and sitting beside the two women.  
Iris placed her hands around the back of Rose's neck and lifted her head up, resting it in her lap.  
The Doctor quickly fumbled for his glasses and slipped them onto his face as he watched. Iris then rested a hand on Rose's forehead and the other held Rose's hand. She closed her eyes.

He watched with his mouth open slightly as Rose's pale skin looked as though it was absorbing some of Iris's power. Her face glowed with the same radiance Iris held. The light between them danced about creating shadows and shocks of brightness around them.  
Rose breathed deeply and opened her eyes. They held the same glow as Iris's had when they had first seen her and the Doctor was reminded of Rose using the Time Vortex to save his life so long ago.

Iris removed her hands and looked down at Rose who grasped onto her hand as though she were a life preserver.  
"Hello, Rose Tyler." Iris said as the light she and Rose shared dimmed in Rose's face and eyes.

Rose's looked from Iris to the Doctor who continued to gape at the two of them until he saw her smile and the recognition in her eyes and realized what had been given back to him.  
Rose sat up, still smiling at him and he put his arms around her, holding her tightly to him and smiling at her return of his embrace, just as tight.

"I had you scared didn't I?" she said into his shoulder.  
"What can you remember?" he said, pulling her away and examining her closely.  
"Everything," she looked back at Iris and he felt a small tremor shake through her. "But I'm alright. Oh look!"  
She held her hands up in front of her and saw a hint of the soft golden light that had been so bright a few seconds before coursing through her palms and fingers.

"You were damaged, Rose." Iris said. "We are now a part of each other, it seems. It will fade after a time."  
"It tickles a bit." Rose laughed as she moved her fingers in front of her.  
Iris stood and looked at the wall suddenly, her eyes losing focus. "They're coming. You must leave."

The Doctor helped Rose to her feet once more.  
"But what about you, the Shores and all that?" Rose said.  
The Doctor took off his glasses and grinned, "Oh, that won't be a problem."  
"You've got a plan?" Rose said, keeping her laughter to a minimum.  
"Not as such, no. But if Iris is willing, I've got a few ideas that may want to mature if you'd stop asking such questions."


End file.
